International Rice Genome
Project
CSREES is among several U.S. and international
organizations that contributed to the finished
DNA blueprint of the rice genome in 2005.
Rice is one of the most significant food
crops worldwide, and the genetic sequence
of rice could be used to improve the nutritional
quality of rice and maximize rice yields.
Analysis of the genome was reported in the
August 11, 2005, issue of the journal Nature,
revealing the location and sequence of more
than 37,500 genes.
With a worldwide investment of $150 million,
the genome sequence was completed 3 years
ahead of schedule. CSREES collaborated with
the National Science Foundation (NSF) and
the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to fund
the U.S. rice genome sequencing project,
a part of the wider International Rice Genome
Sequencing Project (IRGSP). CSREES participated
through the National Research Initiative,
its flagship funding opportunity.
IRGSP, led by Japan, included researchers
from the U.S., China, Taiwan, South Korea,
India, Thailand, France, Brazil, and the
United Kingdom. The 12 chromosomes of the
rice genome, totaling approximately 389 million
bases, were divided among participating countries.
U.S. researchers sequenced all of chromosomes
3 and 10 and parts of chromosomes 11 and
12, which required sequencing approximately
90 million of the 389 million bases of DNA.
Genes, or “coding DNA,” are segments of DNA that contain the chemical
recipe that determines particular traits. Scientists now estimate that rice
has about 37,500 genes, located along threadlike, tightly coiled strands of
DNA called chromosomes. Genes, however, are only about three percent of rice
DNA; the rest is "noncoding" DNA. These noncoding regions of the
genome contain the information that determines when and where genes are active – for
example, in which cell types and at what stages in growth and development of
rice.
More than $15 million was competitively awarded by CSREES, NSF, and DOE, with
more than $6.5 million of CSREES funding awarded to The Institute for Genomic
Research (TIGR) and the University of Arizona. Researchers at the University
of Arizona collaborated with Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in New York, Washington
University, and the University of Wisconsin. These groups coordinated their
research with privately funded U.S. groups, including Rutgers University, Monsanto,
and Syngenta.
The finished genome sequence has already
led to the discovery of specific gene functions,
which may help in fighting diseases and physiological
stress. It may also lead to improved rice
breeding, including the production of higher
quality rice in less time.
Rice has the smallest genome of all cereal
grass crops and was the first crop to be
genetically sequenced. Since rice is genetically
similar to other grasses, the rice genome
could provide important genetic information
about grasses like wheat, barley, sorghum,
and corn.
See related
news release.
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